In this corner, we have “Blog” the young up-and-coming contender, prepared to challenge for the title.
And in the other corner we have “Newsletter” the experienced fighter and current crowd favorite.
The result: a technical draw.
Research shows that no one needs to throw in the towel just yet. Both Blog and Newsletter have their strengths, and when they work together they have the ability to captivate the entire audience.
Ok, enough of the boxing references.
Most people are familiar with newsletters because they’ve been around for years in paper form. Newsletters made the transition from paper to PDF and now most newsletters are sent in digital format. Web-based software such as Constant Contact and MailChimp make online newsletters easy and affordable – even for small businesses and non-profit organizations.
Blogs are comparatively new on the scene. The word ‘blog’ is short for ‘Web log’. A blog can be a standalone site dedicated to blog posts or it can be part of a larger website like our Black Cap Design site. What you’re reading now is a blog post. Blog posts are articles that are stored in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest) and are automatically archived. To learn more about blog posts, check out our post titled Pages vs Posts.
Similarities: Both Blogs and Newsletters can help you connect with your customers, clients and peers. They allow you to share information and demonstrate your knowledge which will help position you as an expert in your field.
Differences: In marketing-speak a Blog uses “pull marketing”. You add a blog post to your website and hope that people go to your site to read what you have posted. Newsletters on the other hand use “push marketing”. You send your newsletter to your subscribers (e.g. customers or clients) via email. They don’t need to go to your website; they just need to click on your email.
10 Key Advantages to Using a Blog:
- Blogs will help improve your website’s overall Search Engine Optimization (SEO); search engines just love fresh content and searchable keywords. For more information read our post titled “Improving your Website SEO?“.
- You don’t need to get permission from your readers (people don’t need to sign-up to read a blog).
- Your blog posts are available to anyone with an Internet connection. This means you can reach new customers/clients not currently on your mailing list.
- Your blog post won’t be blocked by e-mail spam filters – and you are not clogging up the inbox of your readers.
- It’s easy for people to share your blog on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
- You can post whenever you have something to say; you’re not limited by a schedule or amount of content you have to share. Note: You can schedule a publishing date and time for any blog post you write – handy if you want the post published while you’re on holiday or away at a conference.
- Your blog post is always available to your readers and the archive system gives your posts a long shelf life; unless of course you decide to delete the post.
- You can organize your posts into categories so it is easy for people to find the information they are looking for.
- RSS – Really Simple Syndication – can be set up on your blog so readers can subscribe to your blog and get updates automatically.
- If you want, you can set up your blog so that people can post comments and ask questions creating an interactive experience for your readers.
10 Key Advantages to Using a Newsletter:
- People are familiar with newsletters and in most cases will have experience receiving newsletters in their inbox.
- You have access to some great reports after you send your newsletter. For example, you can find out:
- how many people have opened your newsletter.
- what they clicked on – which articles were the most popular.
- You control your audience, for example, your competitors can and will read your blog. Newsletters allow you to establish a clear target audience; you can even send different newsletters to different client groups.
- Newsletters are delivered to the inbox of your readers, saving them the step of visiting your blog.
- Newsletters are addressed to each reader, making them more personal, which helps build relationships and create loyalty.
- Newsletters give readers the feeling that they have control because they sign-up for your mailing list and they can unsubscribe at any time.
- If you have a blog, you can include excerpts and links to your posts in your newsletter, which can help to drive traffic to your website.
- If you don’t have time to write for a few months, it’s not obvious like it is with a blog.
- Newsletters are an excellent way to announce events and fundraisers, send invitations, promote training sessions and announce new products and services.
- Newsletters make it easy to support and reward existing customers with special promotions and subscriber deals.
The Good News
It’s not an either/or choice. Ideally you will have both a blog and a newsletter because they work so well together.
Note: If you have a newsletter, make it easy for people to sign-up by sending everyone on your email list a link they can click to sign-up. Also have a sign up form on your website to attract new subscribers.
Black Cap Design Newsletter and Blog Services
Black Cap Design offers several newsletter and blog related services.
We can:
- design and set-up your newsletter template (Constant Contact or MailChimp)
- upload your mailing list
- set-up your WordPress Blog
- add a newsletter sign-up form or RSS feed on your website
- research and write blog or newsletter content on your behalf
For more information about how we can help you reach your customers, please contact us at in**@bl************.com or by phone at 705-927-2308.